<a href="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/sairapic1.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-567" title="sairapic" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/sairapic1-290x290.jpg" alt="" width="258" height="271" /></a> Saira Javid’s health struggles meant she spent a lot of time in a medical environment, the recipient of someone else’s empathetic care. She got a close-up view of how she wanted to spend her professional life. “When I was born, I was made for this work,” says Saira. Her aspirations were to be a doctor, but, she didn’t know quite how to get there from here.

 Saira decided to move cautiously and after earning her A.S. degree from Reedley Community College she enrolled in SJVC’s <a title="Medical Assistant" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/">Clinical Medical Assisting </a>certificate program in <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/">Visalia</a>. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she may have underestimated herself and her natural ability to absorb and implement her medical coursework.

 “I very quickly fell in love with what I’m doing,” she says and admits that, although there are a lot of new things to learn, her affinity for the material allows her to easily handle coursework. In fact, she has lifted her sights toward the college’s Physician Assistant program, which she hopes to enter after a few years of Medical Assisting practice.

 A very special moment was when one of her instructors told her, in front of the whole class, how proud she was of Saira and suggested that other students use Saira as a model for successful student behavior. Since then, Saira often tutors other CMA students, particularly in math and English classes.

 “It is important for me to help others,” she says. “One of the reasons I chose to be in the medical field is to always give assistance to someone who needs it.”

 Saira’s husband, Tamir, has been her strongest supporter through the ups and downs of her health and her desire for a career in medicine. Her parents, Mohammad and Parween, have been her greatest inspiration.

 “My Dad always tells me, ‘Don’t live just for yourself, but to benefit others, too,’” she says. “My parents believe in me and tell me, ‘Go out there and make your dream come true.’”

 Saira is well on her way with her 4.0 GPA, the respect of her teachers and fellow students, encouragement from her family and her own sense of purpose.

 Saira says she is falling in love with medicine. “The more I learn, the more I want to learn,” she says. At 25-years old, she has a lifetime to fuel that desire.